Vestavia Hills prohibits short-term rentals entirely under Ordinance Number 3204, adopted by City Council on December 11, 2023. Because home-sharing in dwellings or dwelling units is banned, the city sets no occupancy limits. The ordinance defines a short-term rental as any rental for a period of ninety days or less and prohibits both the rental and any advertisement of the rental.
On December 11, 2023, the Vestavia Hills City Council adopted Ordinance Number 3204, which defined short-term rentals and prohibited that use in dwellings and dwelling units within the corporate limits of Vestavia Hills. The ordinance covers any rental of ninety days or less and reaches the advertisement of any such rental on platforms like Airbnb or Vrbo, regardless of where the listing is hosted. Prior to Ordinance 3204, the underlying Vestavia Hills Zoning Code (Appendix A) already barred home-sharing businesses in single-family districts because they did not qualify as a permitted home occupation under Article 4; an owner could only operate by securing a conditional-use approval that took roughly four months and at least two public hearings before the Board of Zoning Adjustment. The 2023 ordinance closed that conditional-use pathway and made the prohibition citywide. The City confirms on its Home Sharing page that no business licenses have been issued for any home-sharing business including Airbnb and Vrbo within the corporate limits. Because no STR is permitted, the city does not set per-bedroom occupancy caps, guest counts, or maximum-occupancy registrations. Operators in unincorporated Jefferson or Shelby County (outside Vestavia Hills) remain subject to county and Alabama Department of Revenue requirements, including the Alabama state lodgings tax of four percent under Title 40 Chapter 26 of the Code of Alabama for stays under 180 days.
Operating or advertising a short-term rental in any Vestavia Hills dwelling or dwelling unit violates Ordinance 3204 and the underlying zoning code in Appendix A. Enforcement is by the City of Vestavia Hills through the Department of Building Safety and Office of the City Clerk; remedies include cease-and-desist orders, denial or revocation of any business license, and the general municipal penalty under Chapter 1 of the Code of Ordinances (fines up to $500 per violation, with each day of continuing violation a separate offense, per Alabama Code Section 11-45-9).
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